Preparing for Paper I: The Unseen Commentary

I. Introduction
Thesis: In the poem "The Voice," Thomas Hardy develops a reminiscent mood to characterize the object, or the woman, that this poem is about.
II. Body
A. Repetition
1. "you"
a. addressing the mysterious woman that the narrator was once associated with
b. reveals that he is constantly thinking about her
c. emphasizes his obsession and reminiscence
2. repetition of rhetorical questions
a. narrator is disillusioned
b. reveals narrator's hopefulness
B. Diction
1. "or is it only"
a. makes everything else seem insignificant
b. de-emphasizes the importance of nature
c. supports narrator's obsession. wants the woman more than the world
2. "dissolved"
a. dehumanizes
b. in denial that the woman went away. disillusioned
3. "wan wistfulness"
a. sad, lonely, melancholy
b. desire and denial. slow acceptance
4. "faltering"
a. unsteady, unsure. in denial that it is not the woman
b. reconsidering whether it really is the woman
C. rhyme/meter
1. the rhyme scheme begins in the second stanza and continues to the end. the lack of the same structure in the first stanza indicates that the narrator is distraught.
III. Conclusion